Monday, June 3, 2013

Going off the Wagon

I had a 10 day break between my time in England and my trip to Turkey, so tried to cram in as many vistis as possible, and try out my exercise program on the road.

I can now report that it was a dismal failure. The second part that is - the visiting part was a smashing success.

First was a lovely day in Egham with A&A, visiting Virginia Water and finding elephants and dragons

looks like an elephant in the tree

shh....don't scare the baby dragon resting in the tree

Then a quick overnight with my old singing teachers in Stirling Scotland with champagne and warm remembrances, then another quick ovrnight with Ln in and around Lock Lomond.

A teeny bit of stretching went on, but nothing very notweorthy as I was either visiting, eating, transporting or sleeping.

A teeny bit of stretching went on, but nothing very notweorthy as I was either visiting, eating, transporting or sleeping.

4 days in Morecambe, Lancashire with my third cousin. Ah, surely here I would be able to relax and get some exercising done. A day in Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales with more lovely cousins to explore the castle and walk the moat,

quite the nicest moat and canal walk

between the pub lunch and the tea

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pretty castle courtyard and centuries old yew tree

the grounds of Skipton Castle

bracing walks along the seafront and Morecambe's outstanding beach,

visiting Heysham's St. Patrick's church and nearby ruined chapel, both originally built in the 8th century or so (although the church fared better with additions made in the 14th and 16th centuries) and its fascinating (and sometimes amusing) graves, particularly the ancient ones carved into stone and that are now open to the elements.

Result: Relax - 1 Exercise - 0

Not completely 0 but not 1 either. Not enough to counteract the excellent pub lunches.
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Sigh. But then, after first seeing it 30 (!!!) years ago, one of my favourite English places has finally been taken over and updated to its well deserved place in art deco history and I could hardly pass up a full on afternoonn tea, English style could I? Could I?

So, back to the south. A lovely day in Richmond and a river-side pub with an inspirational couple about to celebrate their 60th wedding annivsersay (and they did not marry young!),
then another lovely day in Greenwich with Debs and a couple of photographers.

Two days in London got me at least thinking about it, but I had laundry to do, packing to do, paperwork to do, socialising to do and suddenly I am on a flight to Turkey with 2 bags that need carrying and my body is not best pleased!